Leading to the Civil War

  • Uncle Toms Cabin

    Uncle Tom's Cabin was an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that. This novel increased tensions between the north and the south when they were already divided, and laid the groundwork for the Civil War.
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    Bloody Kansas

    Bloody Kansas was a series of violence and wars during the debate over whether Kansas should be a slave state or not. Southern pro-slavery forced attacked and destroyed the property if the anti-slavery forces. Due to the violence and killing that occurred, it is known as Bloody Kansas.
  • The Growth of the Republican Party

    Former members of the Whig Party, who opposed Andrew Jackson and his lifestyle, started meeting to establish a new party that opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories. This became known as the republican party. This party gained a lot of supporters in the North. John C. Fremont was the first republican party presidential candidate.
  • Kansas Nebraksa Act

    The Kansas-Nebraska Act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and ruled that the people residing in the territories could decide if they allowed slavery or not. This act was made to take place of the Missouri Compromise.
  • Election 1856

    In the Election of 1856 Democrat James Buchanan defeated Republican John Fremont. John C. Fremont was completely against slavery, and James Buchanan believed that Slavery was morally wrong, but that it was supported by the Constitution.
  • Brooks -Sumner Incident

    In 1856, Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery democrat representative, attacked Senator Charles Sumner, an anti-slavery republican, with his walking cane in response a speech Sumner gave attacking slavery and slavery supporters.
  • Dred Scott

    Dred Scott was a slave in the United States who attempted to sue for his freedom due to him residing in a free state with his slave owner. This case went to the Supreme Court and ruled that a slave is not a citizen, only property, and therefore cannot sue. The Court also ruled that a slave is still not a free man, even if he resides in free territory and that Congress did not have the authority to limit or ban slavery in certain territories.The decision upset the North pro slavery forces.
  • Le Compton Constitution

    The LeCompton Constitution was drafted by the pro-slavery forces in Kansas. It contained clauses that protected slave holders and the act of holding slaves in Kansas. This added to the tensions between the North and South.
  • House Divided Speech

    This was a speech given by Abraham Lincoln before he was President of the United States. In this speech, Lincoln addressed how divided the country was over slavery and how the country could not stand divided, it had to be completely on side or the other.
  • Lincoln Douglas Debates

    The Lincoln Douglas Debates were a series of debates between Democratic senator Stephan Douglas and Republican Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln wanted to stop the expansion of slavery, while Douglas defended popular sovereignty, in which the people residing in the territories chose whether or not they allowed slavery.
  • John Brown

    John Brown was an abolitionist who believed God does not condone slavery and that he was doing Gods work by trying to free slaves. He believed in arming slaves in order to cause a rebellion against slavery. He was arrested for attempting to arm slaves and start a rebellion and was later executed for it. His death led to the increase of some Northerners’ feelings against slavery.
  • Harper's Ferry

    John Brown, an abolitionist, started a raid on Harper's Ferry where he armed slaves and started a revolt against slavery in the United States.
  • Election of 1860

    In the Election of 1860, the Republican nominee in the North was Abraham Lincoln, he was running against the Democratic nominee Stephan Douglas. In the south, the election was between Breckinridge and Bell. The country was so divided there was two separate campaigns occurring in the north and the south and Lincolns name didn’t appear on the ballot in 10 states. Lincoln won this Election. This led to the secession of many states and ultimately the Civil War.
  • Secession

    South Carolina was the first slave state to declare that it seceded from the United States. They decided to secede because they felt a republican president would interfere with slavery and their property rights. There were 11 states in total that seceded from the union due to the election in which Lincoln won, including Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The secession of these states caused the Civil War
  • Lincolns 1st Inaugural

    In Lincolns first Inaugural address, he promised
    not to interfere with slavery where it already existed, but to stop the expansion of it westward. He also took a stance against secession and that he intended to enforce federal laws in the states that did succeed.